Beneath the Burn

I just LOVED this book! Its had suspense and romance all in one. There is some graphic details of forced sex in the book that may bother some people but it doesn't take up much of the book and if it was skimmed over you aren't missing anything important plot wise. The ending was awesome, never expected it to end the way it did.

I really enjoyed this book... It had everything you could hope for in a good read... It was different than most romance books out there... It wasn't just empty sex, sex, and more sex... There was a plot/story behind it that kept your interest also...Glad to see everything worked out in the end with no cliffhanger! Great read!!!!

I am always amazed when I spend time reading established writers and am bored then I find books like this one am pulled in right away! I have never read this author but will read her again . Very impressed very well written and greAt book that held me all the way through. That really doesn't happen much anymore.

5++++ "Huntress" "You weren't just a girl" "Dare to be vulnerable with me." Kisses!

As I sit here with puffy, teary, red eyes I need to find a way to put into words the cluster f^c% that is my thoughts, feelings and emotions about this book. I can do that with two words. HA! If you know me...then you truly know how funny this statement is. Why? Well..it's simple...

Why is my mind blown? Because I didn't just read this book...I was sucked in and taken on an insane journey of trust, pain, freedom, passion, forgiveness, strength and above all else...love. I will never forget this book. Your brain can never recover from a book like this. It's not physically possible. And mine has been forever scarred. Forever burned. (oh yes...I just made a pun :-P )

Charlee Grosky...who is she? She's a shadow, a figment...because she never really got the chance to exist. Her chance was taken from her at the age of 16, replaced with an existence no human should ever have to live. But she endured. How? Why? Because she's the strongest little spit-fire ever to grace the pages of a book! God Bless America this girl BLEW me the f^c% away. I loved her. She has flaws...hello, they are quite well understood given her history - but f^c% a whole bunch of that because she's just flat out awesome and amazing and I challenge anyone to argue with me. I will say it again...I love her. The end.

`Perhaps she was the missing elements of his soul.'

Jay...James Kristopher Maynard...my sweet broken soul...if he only knew how one hour in Charlee's presence would forever change his existence. Change the course of how his life would play out, forever haunted by the beautiful girl that made something stunning out of scars that would always torture and plague him. But that's what Charlee did to him...for him. Before that night he was just another guy in a band. After her...well, she was his muse. The reason for his inspiration that created the songs that gave his band, The Burn, their success. But this unwilling rock star would give it all up, if it meant he could have her.

`F^c% him but he'd found a beacon of salvation in this gorgeous girl.
And lost his goddamned mind.'

I can't go into detail with what makes this plot so different...but it's so very very different. It's dark and twisted and not for the faint of heart. If you like fluff and hugs and kisses and mushy things - turn away now, this is not the book for you. But if you love realness, raw, grit, the ugly side of love and the beauty that can be found when you push beyond all that...you will not find a better book. There are things in this book that will give you knots in your stomach, make you cringe, make you hurt - physically and emotionally - for the characters, it's a freakin mind f^c%. And I personally loved every minute of it.

`She knew, in the moment, the absence of fear was not synonymous with courage. She wasn't brave. She was numb. Was that how Jay felt when his scars were inflicted? Or had he always been courageous?'

Well after all that you would think, wtf Lisa, how the hell do you enjoy this? I shall explain. First of all, the writing is F.L.A.W.L.E.S.S. Magical. Spectacular. Couldn't tell you one thing I didn't like about it. Even when she was ripping my heart out and absolutely killing my soul with her words, I still was in awe of the way she did it. Perfect example... `Her eyes flipped open and collided with his where they glittered over the counter.' Really?? That's just them looking at each other, can you think of a more beautiful way to say that? Nope...me either. It was effortless. Like the words just leapt into my brain, did a little jig with my imagination and left me stunned and stupefied. It was a glorious journey.

`The challenge in her tone suspended him in a moment of lucidity. Wonderful things were going to happen with this girl. She would push him. Maybe even fix him. If his nightmares chased her away, though, if she ran out the door, his existence would go up in an inferno.'

What else was there to like? The characters, their growth and development...their interaction and the way the melded together. Even the evil f^c%ing @#$ holes were impeccably crafted...you have to sit back and tip your hat to a good f^c%in villain. And then of course there is Jay and Charlee. My heart broke and ached, it soared and rejoiced, it crumbled and disintegrated and then was healed and lovingly pieced back together. You go thru every emotional journey with them, and believe me...they have it in spades...but the process of watching them go through it together...is breathtaking.

"Do you know what happens when you open up?"
She closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. "It makes you strong."
He kissed each lid and whispered against them, "Dare to be vulnerable with me?"

So...the ending...that was the icing on my battered and bruised heart. Just when I'm happy...when I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I can breathe a sigh of relief, that's when I can see the writing on the wall. The writing that tells me 'yeah...f^c%ing...right! Roy Oxford is not going to go away that easily.' I'm not going to sugar coat this, from about 91% till 95% I Did. Not. Stop. Crying. Bawling. Big fat crocodile tears accompanied by the heaving gasps where you can't catch a breath...mainly due to the fact that you can't breathe thru your nose because of all the snot. I'm not painting a pretty picture here folks, and I know this. But....would I do it all over again? You bet your sweet f^c%in tits I would!

"More than anything, I want to learn how to bend to your touch without breaking." He stroked his cheek along hers, the rise and fall of his chest intoxicating her. "I want you tot touch me inside and out." He straightened to look at her.
The heat from his words left her breathless.
He squeezed their hands at her back. "You saw strength in me once. Do you think you could find it again?"

My brain will never fully recover from Beneath the Burn...Charlee and Jay are permanently etched into my heart and I love that. I never want to give up on my characters (because to me...they are mine, sorry!) but they are exactly where I want them to be. Happy. Complete. Perfect. Now...would I love for some spin off's...hell f^c%in yeah I would! O.M.G. Laz is brilliance and probably is the only thing that kept me from completely slitting my wrists. The boy is hilarious. I love him...in a different way from Jay, but I might have a small obsession with Laz. Wil and Rio seem like they would have a fun story to tell, too. Obviously, they don't go into a lot of detail about the band, but you know there is history there and it would be nice to get to know that side. Plus I'm a series whore, so sue me that I don't want to let go! Don't judge me.

"This will hold me." She poked him on the chest. "You have the heart one expects to see at the center of a fire, bending and twisting like steel, but never breaking. If something happens to mine, yours would be stubborn enough to beat for both of us."

There is so much I am missing...like about her pain, his fears and how the approach them together. Always together. Or about how many freaking things I highlighted...the decisions on which quotes to put in this review were literally painful for me to choose. But if I went on and on about everything this review would turn into a novel, rather than just the novella that it currently is. I babble...once again, don't judge me. :-P So...in conculsion...you must read this book. I don't say this lightly, Beneath the Burn is one of the best books I've read this year and in my life. It's a soul searing, life-altering book that will leave you gasping for breath, clinging to hope and yearning for more. :-)

Thus was a very good book! Extremely suspenseful. This boon had me laughing, scared, anxious, and crying. I can't remember the last time a boon had me go through all these different emotions!! Thu book can be very dark at times. There are times that the main character is brutally enslaved. So glad I gave this boon a chance!

5 "Burning" Stars

No one can make me want to cover my eyes and ears while at the same time desperately flipping pages like Pam Godwin. It's like she knows how far to push me out of my comfort zone before pulling back and giving me something to hang on to right when I can't take the tragedy anymore. Her stories are dark and gritty, but with the underlying element of acceptance and unadulterated passion. I read lots of dark romance and Pam is my unequivocal favorite. Beneath the Burn was no exception.

Charlee had a horrible life. Enslaved at 16, her life was the thing of a horror movie. We first meet her after she spent three years living as a tattoo artist under the radar trying to escape her tormentor. She has a loving boyfriend that knows nothing of her history but for the first time she feels loved. One night Jay, the singer from an on the rise band, comes for a tattoo. When we meet Jay, it's obvious he has as many demons as Charlee. He can't be touched and uses drugs and sex as a way to numb himself. When these two meet, even though it's only for an hour, something shifts in each of them. Charlee sees herself in Jay and Jay in her. After Jay leaves he spends the next couple months thinking of her. But when he comes back he learns of her and her boyfriends deaths and he then spends the next three years spiraling out of control.

After Charlee was captured again, she feels terrible guilt for her boyfriend's death, but thoughts of Jay keep her going. When an undercover mission rescues her, she bides her time until she can reach out to Jay which isn't easy since she is living under protection so that her captor, Roy, doesn't get her again. When Jay and Charlee finally meet again, their connection is still palpable. Both have major issues but together, they are determined to work through them all the while trying to evade Roy and his goons.

There really isn't anything I didn't love about this powerful story. Pam's brilliant writing makes her story play out in front of your eyes. I loved that her portrayal of addiction was realistically shown. Even someone who wants to quit finds pitfalls. Jay struggled and the struggle was real. The same goes for his aversion to touch. He had a traumatic childhood and spent his whole life avoiding people touching him. Meeting Charlee may have given him the motivation to turn his life around, but her touch and love weren't the magic cure all.

The same can be said for Charlee's issues with sex. She was trained to give and receive sex a certain way. And even though it was hard to read, I appreciated the fact that she and Jay just didn't fall in bed and every touch and caress created healing and mind-blowing orgasms every time. That would never happen in real life and Pam took the issue and weaved the struggled effortlessly into her writing.

Even though I saw the ending and it's resolution coming from a mile away, this story and it's characters clawed it's way into my mind and heart and I haven't been able to let them go since I finished reading. The only thing that I didn't love about this book was the cover. Honestly, as shallow as it sounds, that's the reason of all her stand alones, I've read this last. But knowing her phenomenal talent, I knew the story was going to blow me away and it absolutely did. Now I have to get my big girl panties on and start her Dead of Eve trilogy.

Beneath the Burn was a gripping full-length standalone novel. I love it when the author doesn't split a book unnecessarily into two or three books (this seems to be the trend right now). This dark romance was satisfying and complete. It definitely had a lot going on (at times maybe too many elements like captivity, abuse, BDSM, rock stars, kidnapping, drugs, only to name a few ) but I didn't mind. I can't wait to read more books by this author.

I rarely leave reviews, although I read at least one book a day. This book was too good to not leave feedback. A diamond in the rough. Perfectly executed details to connect you to characters, I quite literally felt their emotions while reading this book. Honestly rates in my top five favorite books of all time. Please keep writing and giving readers the quality writing we so desperately seek. Thank you!!!!

This book has it all: romance, mystery, thrills it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I could not put this book down. The story line is very engaging and SHOCKING. Whoa I really feel for the main characters. Read it! You won't be disappointed.

If you like your fiction ensconced in brutality, tenderness, and redemption, then Beneath the Burn will not disappoint. I loved the characters in this book, and the villain is truly the best written and vilest character I've read to date. I couldn't put the book down.

Did this book just happen? Omg! Stop what you are doing right now! Buy this book! Read this book!!!!! It's a total dark mind fawk that will blow you away! AND no worries about cliffhanger ending or no HEA! Pam "the Damn bomb" Godwin will NOT leave you hanging!

Wow Pam Godwin, Beneath the Burn was an experience that I did not want to end! If it had not had such a satisfying ending I would beg for more.Highly recommend,but be aware this is a deep dark storyline,the kind that I have a magnetic pull to!

Was totally overwhelmed by this book. Amazing how these 2 found each other and helped heal each others darkness. The evil, the pain, the love. Can't wait to read another from this author. Will probably read this one again

I loved it! I loved all the characters & the interaction between them. The book had just enough what-ifs, edge of your seat, heart wrenching moments to make a great story. I love a long love story & this hit the nail on the head. The book never slowed down for me, it sucked me in from the beginning and held me hostage the entire time. Now I have to go nurse my book hang-over. I will definitely be following Pam Goodwin from now on!

Ok, first, OMG!! This book has me with a hangover so bad it's unreal! I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book. The one review I read let me know of its dark side, but didn't expect this! I loved it! Cannot believe what Charlee had to endure at such a young age. Or Jay for that matter too. Roy is a sick bastard and I'm glad he got what was coming to him the whole time! I fell in love with Jay immediately. And Charlee, well she's just as loved. I was up and down with fear for her after her 2nd escape and was biting my nails the whole time.. Glad that both Jay and Charlee were finally able to work through their demons and help one another. I'm not a spoiler type so, I'll just finish by saying again. OMG!! Fantastic book
Oh and not read by a guy. My account is in hubby's name. Lol

This book has everything I love Rock star romance, tattoos plus more. It is dark in spots but it is such a good story the dark is overridden. The writing just draws you in and you can't put the book down!

For a book about a relationship centered on BDSM, rock stars, drug abuse and sexual torture, I was incredibly invested in these characters. It's a rollercoaster of a story, and by the end I cried from both happiness for the main characters and an upbeat ending in spite of not expecting one. Highly recommended for anyone into steamy romance and (in my humble opinion) well-written and believable characters and situations.

For a book about a relationship centered on BDSM, rock stars, drug abuse and sexual torture, I was incredibly invested in these characters. It's a rollercoaster of a story, and by the end I cried from both happiness for the main characters and an upbeat ending in spite of not expecting one. Highly recommended for anyone into steamy romance and (in my humble opinion) well-written and believable characters and situations.

This story snagged me from the beginning. Jay and Charlee are two hurt souls brought together by chance.Torn apart by a madman they spend years apart longing for the night they met.They share an understanding that each see in the other they fall into love when they are brought together again by chance.

This was a wonderful story!! It arouses so many emotions.I love that in a story.I highly recommend Beneath the Burn!

Storyline was well thought out with an excellent ending and no cliffhanger! Dark, sexy, soulful...the characters had a connection quickly and i was able to feel for them right away. Rock stars, tattoo artist, twisted antagonist - everything I enjoy in a book!! This is a book I'll read again!!

The premise of the book sounded interesting. It started off promising too, but by half way I was skimming and skipping parts to move it along. The ending seemed too predictable and ended far too quickly in a tidy bow after so much middle filler.

This book had it ALL! Excellent plot, great character development, beautifully written!!!! It wasn't my typical read, I usually enjoy light hearted romance but this book sucked me right in from the first chapter!

This book was AMAZING!!!!! You could feel all of the emotions that the characters were going through. There were so many times when I needed to put the book down but could not do it, needing to keep going to find out what happened next. A must read!!

Jointly reviewed for totallybookedblog.com

Gitte: So wow Jenny, I did not expect anything remotely close to what this story turned out to be did you? I mean it was downright horrific, gritty and raw, emotional and gut wrenching whilst full of hope, human perseverance, strength and above all the love of the soul mate variety!

Jenny: You're so right G. The story that developed was unlike anything I expected. This book literally drew me in from the first sentence! Talk about gritty! I was entrenched in this story from the first page. Yes, it was extremely uncomfortable, and I do mean uncomfortable, reading at times and it certainly had my heart racing, melting and twisting all at the same time. It had all the elements we love in a story, and all delivered in such a unique way.

Gitte: We meet Jay first who is the lead singer of The Burn. My heart bled for this guy. Jay is so tormented by his past it rules his actions in the present. This gorgeous haunted man is separated from enjoying what life can offer him. Instead he lives in his music, singing in the shadows repulsed by touch and attention; seeking release and relief from his demons. Seeking love and affection.

"Sometimes, he would imagine what being loved felt like....Was it warm and soothing? Powerful and protective? In his twenty-four years, he had never experienced closeness with another."

He meets Charlee after making a snap decision and their journey begins as the reader gets carried away on one hell of an emotional roller coaster ride.

"**** him but he'd found a beacon of salvation in this gorgeous girl. And lost his goddamned mind."

"Perhaps she was the missing element of his soul?"

I seriously fell in love with Jay as this story unfolded. He's being eaten from the inside out by the demon from his past. His voice lyrically burrowed into my heart where it'll stay, no question. His love and persistence to be with and understand Charlee, even his efforts to give his soul mate everything she craved. Well it was beautiful and emotional. You loved him too didn't you Jenny?!

Jenny: Sure did G. I fell completely for this enigmatic tortured soul who finds solace in drugs to numb his pain. What a wonderfully poetic and fascinating character he was. Jay, with all his demons, who, tragically, possessed so much self loathing, yet such beauty, completely stole my heart.

"She wanted to learn more about him, wanted to nestle deep inside and unearth the man who seemed all too familiar with pain. Real pain."

As his past was revealed and his horrors exposed, I ached for this man who, as you say, lived in the shadows, frightened and revolted by a mere touch. Jay truly was a remarkably written character.

"You build me up and turn me inside out. I've never felt so defenceless and yet....so daring at the same time"

There was so much depth to this man and in Charlee he found a piece of his soul. This woman was his light, his muse, his everything and their journey was one that had me completely captivated, addicted and horrified in equal measures.

"I don't just want to be where you need me." His tone was deep, sharp. "I want to be what you need."

Gitte: Now, Charlee's a mystery, she instantly comes across as very self-assured which is a-bloody-stounding all things considered. It's not long though before we learn the true horror of who Charlee really is and the horror of abuse she has lived for years.

"She narrowed all thoughts on building her armor. She'd created the mental barrier at sixteen, and over the two years that followed she thickened her skin with it, layer after layer, training her subconscious to unleash it."

This girl's story broke my heart into small pieces. The horror of it, wow, yet she displayed such amazing strength and had such courage in her convictions.

As soon as we met Charlee I knew that this girl was something else, her story was sickening and soul destroying yet she fought with every bit of strength her captor was unable to beat and force out of her. Without doubt she's one of my favourite heroines in a long time. Do you feel the same Jenny?

Jenny: Gitte, after spending time with Charlee, I seriously want kiss this author for giving us one of the most impressive and inspiring heroines I've met in quite a while.

"Even face down, Charlee made a picture that inspired men to fight, live, and write music"

After quite a few DNF's due to annoying or unrelatable heroines, I have to say that not only was Charlee Jay's saviour, she was also mine. To witness, experience and feel Charlee's shocking journey and live through her unbearable treatment and humiliation nearly broke me, but Charlee would not allow it to break or define her. This tenacious, beautiful woman showed so much strength, so much determination and a bloody lot of heart. How she communicated with Jay, how she sought to heal him and how she was so resilient and open to him and his issues was remarkable. I admired this woman unquestionably.

"Yes! - she told herself that he was every bit as ****ed up as she was. "

Gitte: In some respects I think this story was mostly Charlee's journey. The abuse, the hurt and pain and the continuous quest for her freedom and finding her soul mate, a memory of a one night encounter keeping her sane through her depths of despair. The way she `handles' Jay, I'd almost go as far as to say Charlee is Jay's saviour as he is hers.

"One of these day's Jay Mayard, you will wear those scars with pride." - Charlee

"If you stay close to me Charlee, my faith will stay close, too." - Jay

This story is very hard to read at times, it's ugly and the baddie, well Roy is right there at the top of book villains! One word comes to mind, obsession, at all costs, be it with cruelty and force. You'll want to make a pin cushion out of him.

"Happiness is fleeting. An unquantifiable nonentity. Her real needs were met by my hand. She simply couldn't live without me." - Roy

However, beauty can come out of pain and Jay and Charlee's story certainly is a fitting example of this. These two were meant for each other, their souls recognised the other. Survivors of abuse, with the scars to prove it.

"I love your scars. They inspire me. I've never met another person who has experienced pain like-"

"She'd created the epitome of beauty and strength in pain. And yes, it ****ing celebrated the freedom in survival."

There wasn't a single character in this story that didn't play an important part, I loved them all, well except Roy and his Craig's!! Everyone else brought humour, suspense and intrigue.

One of my favourite scenes in this story was strangely enough the emotion that bled off the pages involving Charlee, Jay and his band mates when they make a shocking discovery of the sheer magnitude of the effect Charlee has on Jay. What she has enabled him to do...to feel. I read this scene through tears!

Now, so why not a five star? Well, I had one issue with this story and that was the length. I felt there was a lot of repetition and parts were unnecessarily over written. I had to catch myself from skimming, which in the case of this emotionally and beautifully written story would be devastatingly unjust. Despite this though I kind of want to give this Author a standing ovation for writing one of the most unique and refreshing stories I have read so far this year! Be prepared for one hell of a scary, horrible, nerve-wracking yet intensely beautiful ride!

"She was his greatest possibility. His reason. His why. He would give whatever she needed to be whole and happy, because loving her was as essential as drawing air." - Jay

How did you feel about their journey and not forgetting Roy (grrrrrr....) Jenny?

Jenny: My feelings were all over the place in Beneath The Burn. It was an intense, suspenseful, gritty, powerful, emotional, erotic and evocative read. This story, about two unlikely saviours bringing salvation to one another was an addictive, heart pounding read.

"Love is like a series of improbable, lonely notes landing together in meaning chaos."

Charlee's story especially brought me to my knees. I loved her, I felt her and I suffered with her because this author wrote a character that was so warm and relatable. We get to experience Charlee's suffering first hand, and as a result we are taken through the intensity of her feelings as she faced unimaginable horrors and it was testament to her character that she survived at all.

"It was funny how a passing of time could rip you apart, and all it took was one freeing moment to solder the pieces back together."

As for Roy!! Don't get me started. He was one of the most disgustingly evil villains I have met. Pin cushion? I wanted to rip off his testicles and shove them down his throat. I despised the man and I was sickened by his cruelty and the power he wielded.

My reasons are the same as yours Gitte in respect of my rating for Beneath The Burn, and I also have to add that there were some minor inconsistencies in the story, but they these were minor and did not impact on my overall feelings for this story.

Beneath The Burn tore me apart and moved me implicitly, it lifted me to dizzying heights and plummeted me to the pits of despair and all from the very first page and with my heart in my mouth. Jay and Charlee will forever have a place in my heart. These two extremely flawed characters who showed bravery beyond anything even they themselves thought they were capable of, left me breathless.

"I don't know what you're doing to me, Charlee, but whatever it is melts everything else away."

Absolutely an amazing book! You are able to connect with the characters and truly feel what they are experiencing. It was also a longer book (as they all should be), and well worth it! Very well done!

This was the most intriguing, amazing, scary, painful, rocked my freakin' world BDSM, romantic, heart wrenching book I have read in a very long time. It was intense beyond belief and I LOVED it. I even knew what the ending HAD to be and it still made me cry and cheer at the same time. Ms. Godwin, I bow to your amazing abilities to articulate such an awesome story. I will be reading this again!

Amazing ride. Sucks you in to the characters lives from the first chapter. Superbly written! Author did a fantastic job of pulling you into their wild, crazy and sad lives. Love, love, love this book!